How to Improve Your Well-Being at Work

As an employee, your emotional well-being is key to the organization’s success. This can be influenced by your workload, job flexibility, manager and the culture within your team. 

And while you can’t change your boss, making small changes that are in your control and practicing them consistently can help you better manage stress, improve overall well-being and avoid burnout, according to the Harvard Business Review.

The article’s author defines emotional fitness as “the skill of creating a more supportive relationship with yourself, your thoughts and emotions, and other people.” So cultivating this will help you to better handle emotional challenges without getting easily overwhelmed.

First, ask yourself how you’re doing today and how you’re feeling. Without trying to change the feelings, just become aware of them. This can help you feel those emotions with less intensity and take control of them, allowing you to support yourself in the most helpful way.

Take “quality” breaks during the day and let yourself do something to disconnect from work. Going on a short walk or stepping away from your phone or computer can help you recharge. Also make time between your meetings to mentally reset.

When you’re stressed out or overwhelmed, acknowledge the situation and then identify what you can do to move forward — these are the steps of acceptance, helping you take control and take productive action. “This small win gives your brain a sense of progress, which feels good and often motivates you to find other useful steps you can take,” the article says.

Try to make genuine connections with your co-workers and friends. Before starting meetings, check in on how everyone is doing or ask them to share something positive about their week. Building these relationships can help improve mental health and reduce stress, anxiety and feelings of isolation. 

A last tip: It’s important to use your downtime doing activities or hobbies that aren’t related to your job. Whether it’s gardening, walking, writing or art, “the key is to do something that actively fuels your energy and feeds parts of you other than just your work self,” says Harvard Business Review.

Here are six science-backed ways to improve your well-being at work.

1. Check in with yourself daily.
2. Take short, quality breaks during the day.
3. Practice acceptance to focus on what you can control.
4. Prioritize micro-moments of connection with colleagues.
5. Practice gratitude to counter your brain’s negativity bias.
6. Make time for active rest outside work.